China's goods economy, or anime economy, has played a role in stimulating consumption at shopping malls in affluent east China cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou.
Born from a subculture that originated from Japanese manga, anime and game culture, China's "goods" economy, also called erciyuan (two-dimensional space), refers to a vast assortment of "goods" ranging from affordable items such as badges, posters and trading cards to higher-priced model figures and stuffed plush toys.
Anime stores, photo studios and pop-up exhibitions are also gaining popularity among the young anime enthusiasts.
At an anime photo studio in a shopping mall in Shanghai, customers can enjoy the whole services of cosplay clothing, makeup, photography and photo editing.
"It took about an hour and a half to apply the makeup. The total cost of the photo service was 888 yuan (about 123 U.S. dollars)," said Tang Zhiyao, an anime enthusiast. "We are now in the peak season during the summer vacation. More customers are coming on weekends. About 20 to 30 groups of customers come to take photos every day," said Jiang Fuchun, owner of the photo studio.
To meet the makeup needs of anime fans, some malls in Shanghai also offer free makeup rooms.
"It's fun here, like a anime paradise. Many people are coming to take photos with me. I feel happy to become so attractive here," said another anime enthusiast.
The mall held 55 anime-themed flash mob events in the first half of this year, generating cumulative sales of 82 million yuan (11.37 million U.S. dollars). Combining the revenue from the 54 anime stores, the mall's total anime industry sales reached 140 million yuan (19.4 million U.S. dollars) in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of about 85 percent.
"We receive about 80,000 customer visits daily. The customer traffic will rise to 120,000 visits on weekends. Although our anime stores and IP pop-up stores only occupy eight percent of the whole mall, their combined sales account for 20 percent of our total sales," said Zhou Lin, a staff member of the shopping mall.
More shopping malls in cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou are introducing anime stores and exhibitions, which has significantly increased the amount of customer visits and sales.
Rising anime economy stimulates consumption in east China
